What Brothers Are For
by Sweet Country Girl
Summary: "You come back, you here." A short story about when Peter goes away to war. Based on the song, "Brothers" by Dean Brody. Most likely going to be a three-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey. So, I had made myself a promise that I wouldn't write anything else until I was finished with Be Careful What You Wish For. I had made that promise before I heard the song ****Brothers ****by Dean Brody. As I listened to the song, I instantly thought of Edmund and Peter. Thus, this is what came out of it. I hope you like it. **

**This is based on the song "Brothers" by Dean Brody. You don't have to listen to it while reading this, but listening to it will give you an idea. Also, it is a country song, just letting you all know. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Chronicles of Narnia, or the song that this was based on.**

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><p>Anger. Fear. Helplessness.<p>

Those were some of the emotions that Edmund Pevensie felt as he looked out his bedroom window, waiting to catch a glimpse of his brother.

Much to Edmund's dislike, Peter had enlisted in the war, and, two days ago, had received a call that he was needed. Now, it wasn't the fact that Peter had enlisted, or had even gotten the call itself, that had Edmund battling with his emotions.

No, it was the fact that he couldn't go with him; all because everyone thought him too young.

Edmund bashed his hand against the wall, trying to let out some of these emotions.

If only they knew what he had accomplished! He had _led _armies, not just fought in them. He was always there with Peter; supporting him, offering him advice and, most importantly, protecting him. Making him see reason when he was about to do something so stupid that it would get them both killed.

But this time, this time he couldn't go with Peter. He couldn't protect him and make sure that he came home safe, to Susan and Lucy.

Edmund could feel his anger subsiding, when he caught movement from below. Pressing his head against the glass, he watched as Peter walked out of the house; Lucy, Susan and his mother following, all appeared to be crying. He gave his sisters, and mother, a kiss on the cheek, and started to walk down the drive.

Sadness reared its ugly head as Edmund watched Peter started his trek down the driveway. This was the last time that he may see his brother alive, though he refused to actually believe that, and he had been too afraid, sad and mad to talk to Peter when he came to his room last night.

Tearing out of his room, Edmund dashed down the stairs and out the front door, not even bothering to grab his jacket or shoes. He didn't want Peter to be gone before he had a chance to get them on. Dashing pass his siblings and mother, who were all shocked at his sudden appearance, he shouted to his brother.

"Peter!"

"Ed," Peter said, turning to face him.

As Edmund gazed at his brother, who had also been his father, and was his best friend, he felt his eyes start to burn. At that moment though, he didn't care. He didn't care that his mother and sisters were watching. He didn't care that everyone on the block could see. All he cared about at that moment was the person standing in front of him.

"I don't want you to do this," he whispered so that only Peter heard him. "I don't like this either. I've always been by your side."

Instead of replying, Peter looked past Edmund to where his mother and sisters stood. With his gaze, he asked Susan and Lucy for privacy. Nodding their heads, they took each of their mother's hands, and walked into the house. Narnia had done that. Narnia had allowed them to know each other so well, that sometimes words weren't really needed.

"I know you don't, Ed," Peter said, looking at his brother again. Edmund had tears in his eyes, though not spilled onto his cheeks, and the fear and worry in them was so great that Peter had to swallow tehe lump that was forming in his thraot. He had to be the rock right now, or else he would never leave. "But I have to do this. I can't just sit by and do nothing when I know that I can help in the war."

Sighing, Edmund knew that Peter was right. Peter wasn't the kind of person to just sit around and wait for something bad to happen. Usually, he went and found that bad something. Before Edmund could say anything, he suddenly found himself crushed against Peter's chest. Throwing his own arms around Peter, he hung on tight.

To the one person who, besides Susan and Lucy, he knew that he could always count on. Peter was his rock. He needed him, but he knew that that was selfish. Peter wanted to do this, and to deny him this would do more harm than good.

"Just make sure that you come back," Edmund said, pulling back to look Peter square in the eye. "We need you. I need you."

Giving him a small smile, Peter placed a gentle kiss on Edmund's head. "I know. I will come back. Brothers are supposed to protect their siblings. Now, I need you to protect Su and Lu while I'm away. Protect mother too. You'll do that for me, right, Eddie?"

"Yes," Edmund said, hastily wiping at his eyes. Peter didn't need this right now. "I'll protect them until you come back."

Giving him one last hug and smile, Peter picked up his fallen pack, and started his walk to the recruitment center.

Edmund stood there and watched his brother, father and best friend take this walk, thinking that this could be the last time they spoke. As he stood there, he felt the first tears track down his face. Turning, he walked inside, and saw Lucy and Susan standing there. Not saying anything, they walked to him, and embraced him.

And the three Pevensie children cried for their brother.

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><p><strong>And that's it, ladies and gentlemen! Well, for now anyways. I am probably going to do this either into a two-shot or a three-shot. Most likely a three-shot. I hoped you liked it! Let me know! <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Bah, I am completely horrible! I really should be updating my other story, but I swear that that chapter just refuses to be written. I have tried three different approaches to it, and none of them seem right. So, I decided to give that a break, and to update this one instead. **

**I would like to thank lizziemarie0529, MissShakespeare72 and DestrierSnowflakeMoonwood for their reviews.**

**I would like to thank alwayslove4ever and DestrierSnowflakeMoonwood for adding this story to their favorites list. **

**I would like to thank AlwaysABrandNewDay, alwayslove4ever, DestrierSnowflakeMoonwood and EdmundPevensie for evermore for putting this story on alerts. **

**And finally, I would like to really thank Calyn for adding my story to her community, The Real Treasure. You guys should check it out. **

**Now, on with part two!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia. If I did, there would be more written about the Golden Age, and not just one book.**

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><p><em>Hey Pete,<em>

_Just writing to you give you the weekly news, and to see how you are faring. _

_Mom is doing okay, though I can hear her at night crying. I've tried to comfort her, but the only thing that will completely comfort her is you and dad coming home from the war, safe and sound._

_Susan and Lucy are a bit better. They understand why you've done this, and they think the world of you for it. Lucy's conned me into reading her bedtime stories like you used to. She told me to tell you the next time I wrote that you had better come home soon because, apparently, I'm not the best storyteller. _

_I'm am making out okay. It is hard to be the man of the house at times, especially since it's such a huge role to fill. Please come home soon, Pete. Lu, Su and I need our Magnificent, High King back._

_How are you doing? Also, don't even try to lie to me again, Peter. After all the time that we've spent in Narnia, I've learned how to read between the lines. I know that you aren't as fine as you are saying, but I just keep that to myself. There is no need to worry the girls. _

_Don't do anything stupid Pete. We all want you to come back home._

_Miss you so much, that it is not even describable. _

_Love,_

_Your brother, Edmund, the Just King. _

Putting down his pencil, Edmund carefully folded up the letter, and sealed it in an envelope. Walking downstairs, he quickly told his mother where he was going, before grabbing his coat and walking out into the spring air.

Six months.

It had been six months since Peter had received the call that took him away from a family that cared so deeply for him.

As he made his journey to the post office, Edmund thoughts of all this things that Peter had done for him started to flash through his mind, like a slide show.

Peter teaching him to play cricket.

Peter teaching him how to improve his sword fighting.

Peter standing up to the bullies that Edmund used to hang around with.

Peter forgiving him for his betrayal.

The wave of sadness that he had been keeping at bay, for the sake of his sisters and mother, hit Edmund so hard that he had to stop.

Peter was his hero. He needed him to come back. If he didn't, well, that wasn't even a possibility.

Taking a few minutes to collect himself, and to let out his emotions, Edmund started walking again. He thought about what Peter had told him after their battle with the White Witch. Peter had come to check on him.

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><p><span>"Ed, are you alright?" Peter asked, poking his head in the door so that he could see into Edmund's room. He could see that Edmund was lying on his bed with his back to the door.<span>

"I'm fine, Peter," Edmund replied, not looking at him. 

Not really believing that, Peter stepped into his brothers room and gently shut the door. Sure, they had had their problems, but Edmund was still his brother, and Peter knew him well enough to know when he was lying.

"Edmund, I know you better than that," Peter said, sitting on the edge of his brother's bed. "You were really quiet at supper."

Edmund gave no reply.

"Susan and Lucy are worried about you," Peter said, and then continued, "And so am I."

Edmund didn't say anything and silence fell between them. After a minute of debating with himself, Edmund turned so that he was facing Peter, with tears running down his cheeks. 

Shocked, Peter just looked at him before gently touching Edmund's shoulder. That shock soon turned to worry. The last time Edmund had cried, was after the bombing happened. 

"Ed, what's wrong?" Peter asked, staring at his brother.

Edmund just stared at his brother. Looking into his eyes, all he saw was concern and worry. Rubbing at his face in a desperate attempt to get rid of the tears, Edmund sat up on his bed.

"I'm sorry, Peter," Edmund said, "I don't even know why I am so upset. I'm a king now, I should be stronger than this."

Peter just pulled Edmund into a hug, which Edmund to responded too. 

"Oh, Ed, after everything that has happened, no one would blame you for being upset," Peter said, pulling away and looking Edmund straight in the eye. "It is better to let out that emotion, instead of keeping it bottled up. Otherwise, you are doing yourself more harm than good, and that emotion could come out at someone who doesn't deserve it."

"I supposed you are right," Edmund replied, looking back at Peter, "But you don't seem upset about this."

Grinning at him, Peter grabbed his brother's hand and all but dragged him from the bed. "Come on, I have something to show you."

When they walked into Peter's room, Edmund was stunned. It was a complete mess.

"Did you do this?" Edmund asked, his brain refusing to accept what his eyes showed him.

"I did," Peter said, before looking at Edmund, "This is what happens when you try to bottle up your emotions, Ed."

Nodding, Edmund gave one more glance around the room before giving his brother a small smile. Peter raised an eyebrow in question.

"I wonder what emotion Susan will show once she sees this mess," Edmund said, giving a small laugh as Peter's face went slack from the thought.

"Maybe I better start cleaning," Peter said before attacking his room in hopes of getting it back in order before their oldest sister was able to see it.

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><p>"You taught me many things over our years in Narnia, Pete," Edmund said quietly to himself as he walked in the door.<p>

After buying a stamp, Edmund carefully set the letter on top of a growing number of letters and packages that were to be sent out to the deployed troops. Above the box that held these letters and packages, was a poster of a soldier with the words Fighting For Our Freedom, below him.

Turning away from the poster, Edmund couldn't help but wonder how something that was supposed to be so great, could cause so much pain. Of course he knew that freedom was worth it, but it took someone, from not just him but from thousands of people, that were deeply cared for. Those families wouldn't feel freedom until their loved ones were safe and sound back at home. Yet, some of those families would never see their loved ones alive again.

As he walked out of the post office, and down the street, something that Peter had written him flashed across his mind.

He had told him that** '**that's what brothers are for. To protect the ones they care about.'.

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><p><strong>So, that's the second part of my three-shot. I am doing this story by each verse in the song. So, just let me know what you thought! Also, if any of you have heard the song, what do you think? Personally, I love it. Also, do you think that I am capturing the mood of the song? Anyways, till next time!<strong>

**Sweet Country Girl**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here it is! The third, and final part, to my three shot. I would like to thank the following people who reviewed:**

AlwaysABrandNewDay

Lizziemarie0529

MissShakespeare72

MCH

DestrierSnowflakeMoonwood

**I would also like to thank everyone who alerted/favorited this story. Also, thank you to anyone who is just reading it. I really appreciate it!**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Narnian characters, or the song Brothers by Dean Brody, which was my inspiration for this story.<br>**

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><p>Two years.<p>

Two years since Peter had left to go to war.

Two years since they had seen their beloved brother.

Two years of waiting and praying. Praying for their brother's safe return. Waiting for the letter.

A week ago, they had received that letter.

The letter saying that Peter was coming home.

Now, they waited at the train station, along with many other families, to welcome their deployed family members' home. Home for good.

The train station was quiet, for the most part, but as the minutes ticked by, Edmund could hear people starting to get restless.

Observing his own family, Edmund spotted some tell tail signs that they were also anxious for the train's arrival. His mother's gaze kept alternating between the tracks and a clock on the wall. Susan was drumming her fingers against her leg. Lucy was biting on her bottom lip.

Edmund could feel his own anxiousness. When they were back in Narnia, he would throw himself into his work whenever Peter had to go somewhere without him. Thankfully, those times were few and far between. However, they weren't in Narnia, and there was nothing that Edmund could do, short of starting to pace.

Finally, after what seemed to be the longest ten minutes of Edmund's life, the sound of a train horn could be heard, coming from the tunnel. The noise level in the station increased as the train pulled in, and people became more alert. The noise level really increased as soldiers started to exit the train and were reunited with their families.

Edmund didn't pay them any attention though, for he had just spotted a very familiar face exit the train.

Peter.

Edmund smiled as he watched Lucy practically tackle Peter to the ground in a hug. Susan was in such a good mood, she didn't even scold Lucy for it, for which Edmund was thankful. After giving the girls, and his mother, a hug, Peter turned to face him.

As Edmund looked into those familiar blue eyes, he drew his brother into a hug. Whether it was proper or not, Edmund didn't care. He was too happy about having his brother home, to care.

Edmund awoke that night, to the sound of someone moaning. Blinking his eyes, he tried to make sense as to why the moaning seemed to be coming from Peter's bed, before he remembered that Peter had come home from the war today.

Approaching his older brother's bed, Edmund could see his brother moving around a lot, occasionally letting out a sound. Peter was having a nightmare.

"Peter. Peter!" Edmund said, shaking his brother's shoulder, trying to wake him up. "Peter!"

Edmund watched as his brother's eyes snapped open, and aimed a punch at his face. It was with years of training, that Edmund was able to dodge this punch.

"Easy, Peter! It's me! It's Edmund!" he said, trying not to make too much noise.

He could see clarity come back into Peter's eyes, as the fear started to leave. "Ed?"

"Yes, Pete," Edmund said, approaching the bed again. "You were having a nightmare."

As Peter ran his hands over his face, Edmund could see the stress, and fear, that wasn't present at the train station. Sitting on the bed, he watched his brother. The war had changed him. There was a haunted look in his eyes that wasn't there before.

"It is so different than Narnia, Ed," Peter said, so quietly it was practically a whisper. "There is no honor."

"The war?"

Peter nodded, squeezing his brother's hand. Edmund didn't even flinch as he watched his brother.

"It isn't just the people actively fighting in the war that are killed, Ed." Edmund could hear the pain, and helplessness, in Peter's voice. "Childern. People that want nothing to do with this war. They are all killed. Some of the soldiers, they don't care who dies as long as the enemy goes with them. What's worse, is that I couldn't stop it."

Edmund was both shocked and disgusted at the idea of children being killed. Peter was right, there was no honor.

"Peter," Edmund said, forcing his brother to look him in the eye, "You were able to stop it. If you, and all the other allied soldiers, hadn't gone to fight, than a lot more innocent people would have been killed, and more people would be dying every day. Not everyone can be saved."

When Peter didn't say anything, Edmund pulled him into a hug, which, after a few seconds, Peter returned. After a few minutes, Peter broke the hug, but didn't remove his hands from his brother's shoulders.

"Thanks, Ed," Peter said, giving Edmund a small smile.

"That's what brothers are for, Pete."

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><p><strong>It is now complete! So, what did you think? I hope that Edmund didn't come off as being cold at the end, but I think that with his character, he would be the more realistic one out of the brothers. I hope he was in character for the most part.<strong>

**I would just like to give one last thank you to everyone who has read this. It is nice to see that people enjoy it. **

**Sweet Country Girl**


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